Author: Emil Lazarian

CHAIRMAN OF CBA: FOREIGN TRADE IS OF SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE FOR ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. Foreign trade is of significant importance
for Armenia, as the Chairman of the CBA Tigran Sargsyan stated during
the first international bank conference on issues of financing foreign
trade, which has opened in Yerevan today.
“Foreign trade is of significant importance for Armenia, a little
country, still adhering to the principles of open economic policy”,
he stated.
“In this case offering new instruments to the participants of the
market may establish more favorable conditions for exporters and
importers by increasing effectiveness of our economic system”,
Sargsyan finds.
“Unfortunately we must register that many instruments, used in
the international practice, are not introduced and adopted yet by
commercial banks in the Armenian market, which creates difficulties
for importers and exporters”, Sargsyan added.
In his words, main instruments used in the Armenian market are letters
of credit or short-term credits.
‘From this viewpoint introduction of new instruments, usual for the
international practice, into Armenia may become a significant stimulus
both for exporters and importers”, Sargsyan finds.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HARRY ORBELIAN — SET UP GORBACHEV’S S.F. TRIP
by Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writer
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (California)
March 28, 2006 Tuesday
FINAL Edition
Harry Orbelian, an Armenian immigrant with a rags-to-riches life story
who will be remembered as the man who persuaded Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev to visit San Francisco in 1990, has died at the
age of 85.
Mr. Orbelian had cancer and died Sunday at his Sonoma home.
He arrived at Ellis Island in 1948 with only $10 in his pocket, took
a job as a janitor at a San Francisco department store, climbed the
ranks and became a millionaire who hobnobbed with politicians and
brokered international trade deals.
His biggest success, however, came by chance — and after a few
glasses of champagne — during a dinner at the Kremlin in 1985.
Never bashful, Mr. Orbelian, who was overseas with a trade delegation
that included then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, worked
up enough courage to talk his way through Russian bodyguards and
introduce the American mayor to the Soviet leader, whom Mr. Orbelian
had never met.
They extended Gorbachev an invitation to San Francisco, and Mr.
Orbelian, never known to take no for an answer, continued to work
the diplomatic channels for five years until Gorbachev made a visit
in 1990.
“He was quite a guy … nobody could have done that except Harry,”
said longtime friend Donald Doyle, a former state assemblyman who
previously ran the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, where Mr.
Orbelian also worked. “Harry never gave up on any issue.”
Mr. Orbelian was born in Armenia to a mother who worked as a
high-ranking official in the oil industry and a father who became a
general in the feared KGB secret police and was killed during one of
Josef Stalin’s purges.
At the start of World War II, the young Orbelian was drafted into the
Red Army and later was captured and sent to a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp
in Germany. After the war, Mr. Orbelian and other POWs were labeled
traitors by Stalin’s regime and turned away from their homeland.
He attended medical school in Munich, where he met a doctor who would
become his wife of 53 years, Vera Voznesenskaya.
He never finished medical school, but he found success elsewhere.
Upon arriving in San Francisco in 1949, one of the first things he
did was look for the first Armenian name he spotted in the phone book
and make a phone call.
“That person helped get him a job as a janitor at Gump’s,” said Mr.
Orbelian’s son, George.
Mr. Orbelian’s tenacity caught the attention of higher-ups, and he
was quickly promoted, ultimately rising to become the famous store’s
director of operations and a member of the board of directors.
By 1954, he had earned money to buy a 10-unit building in San
Francisco, and he prospered in the city’s lucrative real estate
market. Eventually, he owned numerous apartment buildings and an
office building in Los Angeles, and he split his time between homes
in San Francisco and Sonoma.
He joined the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in the late 1970s,
where he headed the international department and organized trade
missions to more than 50 countries.
“He is a priceless gem, this fellow,” the late San Francisco Mayor
George Christopher once said about his friend. “I’ve never seen a
man with so many talents.”
Thanks to his far-reaching influence, Mr. Orbelian returned numerous
times to the Soviet Union as an ambassador of sorts, encouraging
trade and business interests.
In 1992, he founded the San Francisco Global Trade Council, which works
to promote economic ties between the Bay Area and foreign countries. He
worked on everything from trying to get the San Francisco Giants
to host the Cuban national baseball team to connecting California
businessmen with the president of Kazakhstan.
He also was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which
recognizes those who have helped strengthen free society. In January,
he and his wife received an award from the Russian Consulate for
being exemplary parents and role models for their children.
“One of his great lines,” said his son George, “that he greeted
everybody with was, ‘My wonderful brother.’ ”
Mr. Orbelian is survived by his wife, Vera; sons George Orbelian of
San Francisco and Constantine Orbelian of Moscow; daughter Helen
Burns of San Francisco; brother Konstantine Orbelian of Glendale
(Los Angeles County); six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the St. Gregory
Armenian Apostolic Church, 51 Commonwealth Ave., San Francisco.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO Harry Orbelian entered the United States with only
$10 in his pocket and became a millionaire.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA SEES KOSOVO AS THE ANSWER
By Simon Saradzhyan
Staff Writer
The Moscow Times, Russia
March 29 2006
Russian officials are floating the idea of making the world’s largest
country a little bit bigger by adding a new region called Alania —
an area that would consist of a merged North and South Ossetia.
The proposed expansion hinges on Georgia’s breakaway region of South
Ossetia voting for independence — a vote that would mirror a similar
plebiscite planned for Kosovo. Russia insists that Kosovo’s vote
could be copied to resolve conflicts in separatist regions across
the former Soviet Union.
While talk of uniting the two regions into a single Russian
subject might be a trial balloon, Russia would face potentially
deep repercussions if it were to set the precedent of embracing the
supremacy of a people’s right to self-determination.
Gennady Bukayev, an assistant to Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov,
told a joint session of the leaders of South and North Ossetia on
March 22 that the federal government had agreed in principle to
incorporate South Ossetia.
The two republics would then be united into one, “the name of which
is already known to the world — Alania,” Bukayev said at the meeting
in the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz, Vedomosti and Nezavisimaya
Gazeta reported.
Bukayev’s comments were received enthusiastically by the attending
officials, and he was interrupted by applause several times, said
Madina Dzhanayeva, an Itar-Tass reporter who attended the meeting,
Vedomosti reported.
Hours after Bukayev spoke, the Foreign Ministry released a statement
denying that Moscow had plans to incorporate South Ossetia, even if
the region held a referendum in the wake of the planned Kosovo vote.
Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in the statement on the
ministry’s web site that Bukayev had been misquoted and that Russia’s
position remained that the status of South Ossetia should be determined
within the Joint Control Commission, a group that includes South
Ossetia, Moscow and Tbilisi.
Repeated attempts to contact Bukayev through the federal government
press service were unsuccessful.
The Foreign Ministry’s attempt to contain the news failed, however,
as government officials and analysts alike began to publicly debate
how far a Kosovo precedent could propel separatist regions across
the former Soviet Union toward de jure independence.
Despite attempts by Washington, Tbilisi and Baku to present a vote
in Kosovo as a unique situation, North Ossetian President Taimuraz
Mamsurov said the unification of North and South Ossetia was
“inevitable.”
“When and how it will happen is a different issue,” he told Interfax
a day after the March 22 joint session.
Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov was only a bit more
diplomatic, saying the question of whether South Ossetia would become
part of Russia depended on the final status of Kosovo.
“We are closely watching what is happening in Kosovo. The situation
there is very similar to South Ossetia, and they are heading toward
the establishment of an independent state,” Mironov said, Interfax
reported.
“The people of North and South Ossetia are one people, even if it
[the territory] is divided. And as history shows, people like them
unify eventually,” he said.
Mironov’s position dovetails with Russia’s view that whatever status
Kosovars choose and the international community seals should be
treated as a precedent for the resolution of similar conflicts.
Ethnic Albanian and Serbian officials are currently engaged in United
Nations-mediated talks on the future of Kosovo. Albanians, who comprise
about 90 percent of Kosovo’s 2 million people, want full independence,
while Serbia and Kosovo’s Serb minority insist that Belgrade retain
some control over the province. Despite Serbia’s stance, some form
of independence appears almost certain for Kosovo, which has been run
as a UN protectorate since 1999, when NATO air strikes drove Serbian
forces out and ended a crackdown by then-Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic on Albanian separatists.
President Vladimir Putin voiced Russia’s position during his news
conference on Jan. 31. “If someone thinks that Kosovo can be granted
full independence as a state, then why should the Abkhaz or the South
Ossetians not also have the right to statehood?” Putin said. Abkhazia
is another separatist region of Georgia.
“I am not saying that Russia would immediately recognize Abkhazia or
South Ossetia as independent states, but international experience has
such precedents,” he said. “I am not saying whether these precedents
are a good or a bad thing, but in order to act fairly in the interests
of all people living on this or that territory, we need generally
accepted, universal principles for resolving these problems.”
In the weeks after Putin’s remarks, officials from the separatist
governments of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh have voiced
support for the argument that Kosovo could serve as a precedent,
while senior officials from Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan have
challenged the argument. Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave claimed by
Armenia and Azerbaijan, while Moldova is struggling with a separatist
region of its own, Transdnestr. With the exception of Transdnestr,
all of the breakaway regions are populated by a dominant ethnic group.
Georgy Khaindrava, Georgia’s minister for conflict resolution, said
Putin’s remarks came as no surprise given Russia’s “unilateral support”
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“The Kosovo model is not a universal one,” said Georgian Foreign
Minister Gela Bezhuashvili.
Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Kosovo “must not set
a precedent, regardless of its outcome.”
Even U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rosemary DiCarlo weighed
in, telling Kommersant that Kosovo was a unique case that had grown
out of the violent breakup of Yugoslavia.
Political experts said, however, that Kosovo’s case was not so unique
and could easily be applied to most of the frozen conflicts in the
former Soviet Union.
“How many parameters can one list to make their case unique? Is
Kosovo all that unique? I don’t think so,” said Monica Duffy Toft,
an expert on ethnic conflicts in the former Soviet Union at Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government.
She and Alexei Malashenko, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center,
said the Kosovo vote would set a precedent that the leaders of South
Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh would rely on to strengthen
their independence bids.
“The Kosovo vote will open the floodgates, it will be a wake-up call
that the principle of territorial integrity is no longer absolute in
the tradeoff with the right to self-determination,” Malashenko said.
He and Mikhail Roshchin, a Caucasus expert at the Institute of
Oriental Studies, expressed doubt that Russia had any imminent plans
to annex South Ossetia and said Bukayev’s statement looked like a
trial balloon. “They might be probing to see what the reaction is,”
Roshchin said.
However, the statement should not have been permitted even as a trial
balloon if Russia was truly interested in absorbing South Ossetia,
Malashenko said. “They should have kept mum until after the vote and
the subsequent recognition of Kosovo,” he said.
Nikolai Silayev, a senior expert with the Center for Caucasus
Studies at the Moscow State University of Foreign Relations, agreed
the statement could have been a test and questioned the wisdom
of incorporating a willing South Ossetia. He said the economically
depressed region would become a new burden for the federal budget and
that unification of the two regions might fuel Ossetian nationalism.
Silayev said Russia would benefit most if Georgia formed a weak
confederation state with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and that state
was anchored to Russia.
Toft also questioned the viability of Russia’s position on Kosovo
being a precedent for South Ossetia, noting that Russia could face
the uncomfortable prospect of Chechnya and other Russian regions
dominated by one or two ethnic groups in the North Caucasus also
seeking independence through referendums.
South Ossetia fought and won a bloody war to achieve de facto
independence from Georgia in 1992. Since then, the region’s economy has
relied heavily on Russia for support, and its leaders have periodically
called on Moscow to incorporate the region into Russia.
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity made the latest call at the
joint session in Vladikavkaz last week, saying he would ask the
Russian Constitutional Court to look into whether his region could
be “re-integrated” into Russia. He cited the 1774 Treaty of Kuchuk
Kainarji between Russia and the Ottoman Empire that made South Ossetia
part of Russia, and said no later treaty had transferred the region
to Georgia.
Both Georgia and the United States criticized Kokoity. Julie Finley,
the U.S. ambassador to the Vienna-based Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, said the United States reconfirmed “our
unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Georgia and the peaceful resolution of both the South Ossetia
and Abkhazia conflicts based on that principle,” The Associated
Press reported.
Khaindrava, Georgia’s minister for conflict resolution, also attacked
Bukayev’s statement, calling it “absolutely irresponsible” and urging
Moscow to condemn it.
Russia officially maintains that it honors Georgia’s territorial
integrity, and it keeps a peacekeeping force in South Ossetia. But
Tbilisi has accused Moscow of supporting the region through trade,
economic aid and the distribution of Russian passports to residents.
As of 2003, 70,000 people lived in South Ossetia, with 67 percent
of them ethnic Ossetian and 25 percent ethnic Georgians, according
to Izvestia. A total of 95 percent of the residents hold Russian
passports, which Georgian officials say is a reflection of Russia’s
tacit support for the independence movement.
A similar number of residents in Abkhazia and a sizeable part of the
population of Transdnestr hold Russian passports.

MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMY OF RA VARDAN KHACHATRYAN, AND MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOHN DANILOVICH HAVE SIGNED $ 235, 65 MILLION 5-YEAR AGREEMENT
Lragir.am
28 March 06
On March 27 Minister of Finance and Economy of RA Vardan Khachatryan,
and Millenium Challenge Corporation Executive Director John Danilovich
have signed $ 235, 65 million 5-year agreement at Benjamin Franklin
Hall of State Department. Secretary Condoleezza Rice addressed the
participants. Members of Armenian delegation Vahram Nercissiantz
Chief Economic Advisor to the President, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vardan Oskanyan, Armenian Ambassador to the US Tatoul Markaryan and
other officials took part in the ceremony.
Main objectives of the program are rural poverty reduction through
ensuring the agricultural production growth. 750 000 inhabitants
of Armenia-75% of rural population will be the beneficiaries of the
project. As the project implementation result, it is anticipated to
reduce rural poverty by 6%.
The project components are
â~@¢ Rural roads restoration program- $ 67.1 million
â~@¢ Rural irrigation program $ 145,67 million (including rural
sustainability component- $ 32.42 million)
â~@¢ Monitoring and evaluation- $ 5.08 million
â~@¢ Project management and Supervision- $ 17.19 million
The Armenian Program will be presented to mass media, NGOs, private
sector and Armenian Diaspora representatives on March 28. After
the presentation MCC management and GoA officials will answer the
questions.
Press service of Ministry of Finance and Economy, RA
–Boundary_(ID_QTK5NVZscOS86OwDOr6zPg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF GREECE TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
28.03.2006 10:52
The delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece Evripides
Stiliandes will arrive today in Armenia. The visit aims at reinforcing
the bilateral economic relations.
The delegation will comprise businessmen and representatives of the
Greek-Armenian community. The next sitting of the Armenian-Greek
Intergovernmental Committee will be start today.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALICE PANIKIAN – MISS UNIVERSE 2006
ArmRadio.am
28.03.2006 12:01
20 year-old Canadian-Armenian Alice Panikian won on March 21st the
title of Miss Universe Canada 2006 at an event held at the Casino de
Montreal. Alice Panikian received her crown from Miss Universe 2005,
Russian in origin, Natalia Glebova.
49 contestants competed in the annual event produced by ‘Beauties
of Canada’.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRANIAN AMBASSADOR: THOSE WORKING FOR WORSENING TEHERAN-BAKU RELATIONS WILL NOT SUCCEED
PanARMENIAN.Net
28.03.2006 20:27 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “My attitude to anti-Iranian statements at the II
World Azerbaijanis Congress cannot cause worsening relations between
our countries. Those, who work for that will not succeed,” Iranian
Ambassador to AzerbaijanAfshar Suleymani stated in a conversation
with journalists. In his words, though statements like that cannot
upset bilateral relations, they can result in misunderstanding.
The Iranian diplomat said he supports the idea of creation of a
commission to overcome misunderstanding between the two countries
over historical matters.
“Many Azerbaijanis live in Iran. This means that from the
moral point of view we also have the right to convene a world
Azerbaijanis congress. Using Azerbaijanis as a tool in the relations
is inadmissible. It would be better if there was transparency in
relations between our countries,” the Iranian diplomat said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DIASPORA ARMENIANS NOT TO HAVE SUFFRAGE AT ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
28.03.2006 20:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The matter of dual citizenship remains a
disputed one in Armenia. No clear decision is made in this respect,
Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian stated in an interview with Turkish
Hyurriet newspaper. In his words, the suffrage will not be granted
to Armenians of the Diaspora. In the Minister’s words, as in any
independent country, the political life in Armenia is determined
by its residents. There are various gossips, incorrect comments and
erroneous perception about Armenia in Turkey, Oskanian said. One of
the causes of that is official Ankara refusal to establish diplomatic
relations with Yerevan, the Armenian FM remarked. “If relations are
established between Armenia and Turkey, both peoples will feel the
outcomes of their contacts and the Turkish people will see they have
no ground for worrying in respect of Armenia,” Oskanian said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/28/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Armenia Ready to Suppress Attack by Azerbaijan 2) Oskanian Urges Diaspora to Continue Partnership with Armenia 3) Millennium Challenges Corporation Signs Five Year $235 Million Compact with Armenia 4) Kurdish Protesters Attack Police in Turkey 5) Turkey to Buy 100 Combat Jets Worth $10 Billion 1) Armenia Ready to Suppress Attack by Azerbaijan YEREVAN (Yerkir)Armenia's Armed Forces are prepared to suppress a possible attack by Azerbaijan or any other state, said Armenian Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Artur Aghabekian. Commenting on the more frequent cease fire violations between the Armenian and Azeri Armed Forces recently, Aghabekian said that similar incidents have occurred since the Karabagh cease fire was established in 1994. Aghabekian said the violations have become more frequent lately for a number of reasons, such as the restructuring of trenches near troop positions and more aggressive statements by Azeri officials. "I can assure you that in case our positions are fired on, we will respond in an adequate manner," the lieutenant general said. 2) Oskanian Urges Diaspora to Continue Partnership with Armenia YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Speaking at a Washington DC conference on Armenian issues, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian discussed Monday Armenia's relations with the US, democracy in Armenia, Armenia-diaspora relations, and the aid Armenia will receive from the US under the Millennium Challenge Account program. US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Freid, USAID Armenia Mission Director Robin Phillips, Congressmembers and various other officials attended the conference organized by the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), and Western and Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Church in America. In his speech, Oskanian discussed cooperation between the US and Armenia in the war on terror, non-proliferation, regional security, and in supporting democratic and economic freedoms. "Not only are we ideological partners, but we share the values that have made America. We want those values to be not just aspirations for the citizens of Armenia but solid realities." Referring to the development of democracy in Armenia, Oskanian said: "The entire process of nation-building has been different for us [than the US], since we had to undo an existing system and build a new one. That is why we have welcomed the various US programs which have supported our institutional, democratic and economic reforms." Speaking of the aid Armenia will receive through the Millennium Challenges program, Oskanian said that, "the US government determined to contribute to the budgets of those countries that are themselves attempting to grow in the right direction--to govern justly, to encourage economic openness and to invest in people." "Armenia is a part of the MCC because not only is there plenty about our society that needs to be put right, but because we are on a path that is right," he said. Oskanian also spoke of the important role the diaspora plays in Armenia. "If I think back, I don't know where Armenia would have been without the diaspora," said Oskanian. "The Armenia-diaspora collaboration has been invaluable in this decade and a half of upheaval, confusion and learning. The value of the diaspora is in its ingenuity, non-conformity, its belief in a dream, its access to networks, its ability to be international and national all at the same time, and its tremendous resources." "I am now going to ask you [the diaspora] to partner with Armenia--even more deeply and broadly and seriously than you have already done--in addressing Armenia's domestic and international challenges," said Oskanian. He ended his speech by saying: "The Republic of Armenia exists, it is independent, and it is ours. It still needs its diaspora, more than ever. We must cooperate, not compete, in order to turn the Armenia of our dreams into the Armenia of our future." 3) Millennium Challenges Corporation Signs Five Year $235 Million Compact with Armenia (ARMENPRESS/RFE/RL)--The United States formally released on Monday $235 million in economic assistance to Armenia, to be provided over the next five years under the Bush administration's Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program. Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Ambassador John Danilovich and Armenia's Minister of Finance and Economy, Vartan Khachatrian signed the compact, which is designed to reduce widespread rural poverty by upgrading the country's battered irrigation networks and rural roads. MCC Chair Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice officiated and witnessed the signing. She was joined by Armenia's Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. Rice said the assistance is a "testament to the hard work and dedication of the Armenian people and their elected government." "I congratulate the people of Armenia for developing a results-focused and transformational program that will improve the lives of the poor," said Danilovich. "MCC assistance will be used to rehabilitate roads needed for Armenians living in rural areas to access social services such as healthcare and markets to sell their products. The Compact also includes funding for projects that will increase the productivity of farm households through improved water supply, higher yields, higher-value crops, and a more competitive agricultural sector." Ambassador Danilovich added, "Continued eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account funds depends on adherence to our indicators measuring performance in ruling justly, investing in people, and encouraging economic freedom. MCC will continue to monitor Armenia's policy performance in these three categories throughout the life of the Compact." "Our partnership will help Armenia to fight poverty through sustainable economic growth," Rice said during the signing ceremony held at the State Department. "To ensure that progress toward this end remains constant, Armenia must continue to advance its democratic reforms." Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who also spoke at the ceremony, assured Washington that his government is "aware that we have the obligation to build on the confidence that has been placed in our government and people." "We know that corruption must not be tolerated and that law must rule, that the principles of democracy must be transformed to traditions of democracy in our country," he said. The launch of the aid program came nearly two years after Armenia was included on the list of 16 developing nations eligible for MCA funding. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a US government agency administering the scheme, approved the Armenian government's detailed aid application late last year. Most of the MCA funds, $146 million, will be spent on rebuilding and expanding the country's battered irrigation networks. Another $67 million would go to pay for capital repairs of about 1,000 kilometers of rural roads that have fallen into disrepair since the Soviet collapse. Officials say these projects will directly benefit 75 percent of approximately one million Armenians living in rural areas. The MCA aid will be disbursed parallel to regular US assistance to Armenia which has totaled $1.6 billion since 1992. Oskanian described it as "invaluable." 4) Kurdish Protesters Attack Police in Turkey (AP)--Kurdish protesters hurled firebombs at armored police vehicles in southeastern Turkey Tuesday after a funeral for some of the 14 Kurdish guerrillas killed by troops last week. Police launched tear gas canisters at the crowd of hundreds in return, triggering street clashes which left at least five people injured and several businesses and vehicles damaged in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, images broadcast by private NTV television showed. The clashes erupted after protesters chanted pro-Kurdish slogans and attacked the police after the funeral of four of the dead guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. NTV footage showed at least one armored police vehicle engulfed in flames after being hit by a firebomb in Diyarbakir. The operator of the vehicle immediately turned on the vehicle's pressurized water canon in an attempt to extinguish the fire. Further west in Adana, some 3,000 Kurdish protesters attending the funeral of another killed guerrilla clashed with police, prompting the police to detain dozens. Turkish troops had killed 14 Kurdish guerrillas in the province of Mus in a two-day clash that ended on Saturday. Tensions have been running high in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, where violence has escalated recently. The fight for autonomy has claimed the lives of more than 37,000 people. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, reports the AP. 5) Turkey to Buy 100 Combat Jets Worth $10 Billion ANKARA (Reuters)--Turkey's Air Force plans to buy 100 new generation combat aircrafts worth $10 billion and will decide by the end of 2006 which ones to purchase, a senior Turkish official said Tuesday. NATO member Turkey will choose between the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), whose construction is being led by Lockheed Martin, and the Eurofighter Typhoon, being built by a European consortium. Ankara may also opt for a combination of the two planes. Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar said that the new warplanes would replace F-16 and F-4 aircraft currently used by the Turkish Air Force. He was also quoted as saying Turkey wanted its own defense industry facilities to handle half of the warplane project. Bayar, Turkey's chief procurement official, was expected to hold talks with Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon and US defense industry officials during a visit to the United States. The JSF, the Pentagon's costliest weapons project at more than $250 billion, is a US-led effort to develop a family of radar-evading, supersonic, multi-role warplanes with co-financing from eight other countries, including Turkey. Other partners include Britain, Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. But the project has been hit by a row over Washington's reluctance to share technology. Turkey, whose largest arms supplier has traditionally been the United States, has invested $175 million for the development phase of the JSF and is hoping to win contracts worth up to $5 billion for its domestic industry, reports the Turkish media. The Eurofighter, a supersonic, twin-engine aircraft, is being built by a consortium including firms from Britain, Italy, Spain and Germany. EADS is the major shareholder in the Eurofighter. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE PRESIDENT OF HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY LECTURES IN THE SEMINARY
The president of Haigazian University, Dr. Paul Haidostian, delivered a
special lecture entitled “Shepherd-flock mutual relations” during an event
organized by the Student Committee of the Seminary of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia on March 24. The invitation to lecture for the Seminary students had
been sent by the Seminary’s administration to Dr. Haidostian.
The opening remarks were delivered by Deacon Trasdamad Donoyan, who
highlighted the responsible mission trusted to the clergy within the church’
s service mission. The Seminary’s choir then performed two songs that
symbolize the heavy but sweet “burden” placed on the followers of Christ.
Dr. Haidostian drew parallels between spiritual service and the role of a
spiritual leader in his community. He expressed his viewpoints with a
pedagogical approach, making them understandable for 12-21 year old
students, who are preparing themselves to serve God, the Armenian Church and
nation in the Seminary.
Dr. Haidostian summarized his lecture in five main points:
I. The readiness and commitment of the shepherd to know and find the lost
sheep. “A person preparing himself for leading a community or for a
spiritual mission is obliged to develop in himself a caring heart along with
administrative, social, intellectual and other skills so he can recognize
lost people. That person could be lost at his own free will and consciously
or he could be misled by others. The shepherd’s task is to reveal, recognize
and save that person,” said Dr. Haidostian.
II. It is the shepherd’s duty to find the lost sheep for whom he will be
paying a very “high price.” “The spiritual leader should go after the lost
people whatever the circumstances of leaving behind the entire community to
do so. He will pay a high price for his search, because in various
circumstances he could get injured, face dangers and suffer many times, just
as the shepherd chasing his lost sheep in the mountains or fields could be
injured,” he said.
III. The shepherd knows the way to reach lost people. “With his formation,
proficiency and experience the shepherd knows the way, the direction.
Otherwise he could mislead all the flock following him. Consequently, when
he knows the way, he will find those lost. The shepherd’s loving heart is
the driving force for finding the lost sheep. Watch people seeing off their
loved ones before the latter travel; they fix their eyes on them until their
disappearance in the horizon. Why? Because they love those people they were
separated from because of travel. The same is true for the spiritual leader.
When he loves his community, he puts his heart in his service,” Dr.
Haidostian emphasized.
IV. The shepherd carries the lost sheep on his shoulders and comes back.
“The found sheep should not be scolded for being lost. They could be lost
because of a concern, they could have conflicts, be tired or confused. On
the contrary, the image shown in the Gospel explains that the shepherd
carries the lost sheep on his shoulders. It’s the same for the spiritual
leader; he shows the right way to the lost person, until the latter goes
back to normal life. It’s only natural that the lost person would not rise
>From his lost condition instantly; however, it is the spiritual leader’s
obligation to follow his steps and showing him the right way,” he said.
V. It’s the shepherd that is happiest for finding the lost people. “The
shepherd who witnesses the recovery of his lost sheep lives his happiest
moments of spiritual satisfaction. Can we completely succeed in our mission?
Surely not, because many times we will fall and get injured. We are not
perfect; only the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is perfect. We are destined
to love, just as the Good Shepherd himself loved his sheep,” Dr. Haidostian
concluded.
V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian delivered the closing remarks on behalf of the
Seminary’s administration, thanking Dr. Haidostian for his easy delivery of
the lecture. Referring to images of walking barefoot on the thorny path of
spiritual service and following Christ in his suffering, the Dean of the
Seminary spoke about the duty of the spiritual leader to reach those in need
even in an injured state.
The event came to its end with prayers, leaving a deep impression on the
students and clergy.
##
View photos here: tm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Theological
Seminary of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress